Can palm trees survive snow?
Yes, many varieties of palm trees are hardy enough to survive a snowfall. Though it's not necessarily the snow that kills palms, rather sustained cold and freezing temperatures. The variety of palm is also very important to consider in this question.
A Chinese windmill palm (Trachycarpus fortunei) can live outside near 5 degrees Fahrenheit and a needle palm can take down to about 0. This means a snowy Seattle winter at about 18F is fine for a planted windmill palm.
Zone pushers will tell you a little snow is no big deal... but at some point you really do hit a wall. An Areca palm or a coconut palm will die even before the point of freezing (well before snow would even show up).
In almost all cases where you see a palm in a photo with snow is a Trachycarpus fortunei, a sabal palmetto, or a needle palm.
A Warning About Fake Cold Hardy Palms
There are a lot of palms that get sold as "cold hardy," and they look the part until the first real freeze. A queen palm can really only take about 25F but my local Lowes still sells them even though my climate can get colder than that in the winter.
Although it's not wrong for a nursery to sell those plants, most of the time they are sitting in a garden section of a store in a climate that can't actually support that palm outdoors. Wrapping, heat tape, and a string of Christmas lights can help these types of less hardy palms survive outside during the winter however.
Snow Doesn't Matter, It's The Temperature That Does.
You'd think a yard that gets snow is automatically too cold for palms, but many states that get snow still have palms growing in the ground. This is because where plants and palms can grow depends on the palm's hardiness rating and the location's hardiness zone. Once you have those numbers, the planting list pretty much writes itself.
What Snow Actually Does To A Palm
Snow sitting on the fronds isn't the same thing as the air dropping below what that palm can take. A wet snow can even sit on the crown and hold a little heat. What actually wrecks a palm is a night that stays below its cold hardiness rating.
Heavy wet snow can also bend or break fronds, so the tree can look ugly even if the bud in the middle is still alive. But don't fret! Just because the leaves die and turn brown doesn't mean you palm tree is gone for good.
Should You Wrap A Palm When It Snows?
If you've got a hardy palm like a windmill or a needle, and the night is staying above about 5F or 0F, you don't have to wrap it just because it snowed.
Wrapping it in burlap and Christmas lights can help a less hardy palm get through a short cold snap which is different from planting an areca palm and expecting it to live outside all winter. Wrap can buy you a few degrees on a queen. It does not turn a tropical palm into a windmill.
Palms In Pots When It Snows
The photo at the top of this article is a windmill in a pot, which is a different situation than one planted in the ground. Pots freeze faster because the roots have a lot less soil around them. A windmill palm that would be fine in the ground can get hurt in a thin pot on a deck.
If you're keeping palms in containers, they need a bigger pot, or they need to come inside when a real bad freeze is coming. Tropical houseplant palms (areca, majesty, parlor) should not be sitting in snow at all as they will most surely die.
Which Wild Palms Can Survive Snow?
Where I'm from on the South East coast of the US, cabbage palmetto (Sabal palmetto) will take an occasional snow. The Forest Service has Sabals marked living all the way up the coast to Cape Fear. European fan palms (Chamaerops humilis) can also survive a decent snow in Europe, and Kew has it growing wild in Italy around 44N.
What To Do After A Freeze
If a palm took a hard freeze, don't cut everything off the next morning. The growing point is the spear leaf in the center. Give it time. A lot of damaged fronds can look dead and still have a live bud underneath.
If the spear pulls out later and it smells rotten, that's when the palm is actually dead. Until then, leave the old fronds. They can help protect the bud if another cold night shows up.
Short answer here: wait and see.
Recommended Palms For Snowy Climates
The chart below will give you a good idea of some palms you can plant that will still grow after a snow fall. Remember its temperatures that matter, not snow. Use the palm trees by state guide if you want more regional information.
| Palm | About | Try it here |
|---|---|---|
| Needle palm | 0F | Nashville, Maryland, a sheltered New York yard |
| Dwarf palmetto | 0F | Same winters as needle. Stays a shrub |
| Chinese windmill palm | 5F | Seattle, Portland, D.C. New York if you really stay above 5F |
| Saw palmetto | 10F | Carolina coast, Gulf Coast. Native shrub |
| European fan palm | 12F | Seattle, Portland, D.C. Not Nashville |
| Cabbage palmetto | 15F | Wilmington and the Carolina coast. Native there |
| Pindo palm | 15F | Zone 8 winters. The hardy feather palm people want when they buy a queen |
Mazari palm can take about 10F too, but that's more of a dry cold plant. Wet snowy winters in the Southeast are a different problem than a dry inland freeze.
Questions
Can palm trees survive a snowstorm?
Yes. Snow isn't what kills them. A windmill around 5F and a needle around 0F can sit through a storm as long as the air doesn't drop below what that palm can take.
Do I need to wrap my palm when it snows?
Not if it's a hardy one like a windmill or needle and the night stays above its rating. Wrap, heat tape, or lights can help a less hardy palm through a short snap. They won't save a coconut.
Which palm trees can handle snow?
Needle and dwarf palmetto around 0F, windmill around 5F, European fan around 12F, cabbage and pindo around 15F. Look up your winter low, not whether it snows.
Can coconut palms survive snow?
No. Coconut palms start to die around 35F, which is well before snow would show up. They need a true tropical climate.
Can queen palms survive snow?
Usually no. Queen palms only take about 25F. A light wrap might help through a short dip. It is not an outdoor snow palm.
Do windmill palms survive snow?
Yes. Chinese windmill palm can take about 5F, so snow in Seattle or Portland is fine. The snow on the fronds isn't the problem.
Will snow kill a potted palm?
The pot can freeze faster than ground soil. A hardy palm in a thin pot can die in the same snow that a planted one survives. Bring tropicals inside.
Should I brush snow off my palm tree?
If the snow is heavy and wet and the fronds are bending, knock the extra off. A light dusting can stay. Don't tear the leaves up trying to make it look clean.
Can palm trees grow in Chicago?
Chicago gets down to about -7F. That's too cold for a planted windmill. Needle palm is the only one I'd even think about in a very sheltered spot, and even then it's a gamble.
How cold is too cold for a palm tree?
It depends on the variety. Needle and dwarf palmetto around 0F, windmill around 5F, coconut around 35F. Your city's winter low is the number that matters.